This photo is kindly provided by Trevor Staats and shows Y112 hauling A2 996 from Echuca Wharf
to the station yard on 7 June 2004.

Builder

Phoenix
Foundry, Ballarat

Builder’s
Number & Year

238
of 1889

Designer

Kitson
& Co

Wheel
Arrangement

0-6-0

No.
in class

31

Entered
Service

24
July 1889

Taken
off Register

11
May 1961

The
origins of the Victorian Railways Y-class lay with the decision by Kitson & Co,
Leeds to place a 0-6-0 freight locomotive on display at the Centennial
International Exhibition, Melbourne in 1888, together with a 2-4-2T suburban
passenger locomotive.This marketing
initiative proved successful as the Victorian Railways were clearly
impressed with these machines, with both purchased after the exhibition and
becoming the patterns for new standard locomotive types.Thirty examples of the 0-6-0 heavy freight
design were ordered from the Phoenix Foundry, Ballarat, becoming the
Y-class for main line heavy freight duties, while the 2-4-2T design became
the E-class for Melbourne suburban passenger duties (represented by
preserved locomotive E 236).

The
Y-class prove successful in service and accrued high mileages.They were inevitably superseded by more modern
and powerful steam locomotives and a number cascaded into shunting and yard
pilot duties, often with the addition of shunters steps along both
locomotive and tender.Y 112 was one
of the last in service when withdrawn in 1961.Fortunately it was saved for preservation
and plinthed in central Ballarat, ostensibly in commemoration of Phoenix
Foundry.I understand it is owned by
the Sovereign Hill Museums Association.

During
the 1980’s, Y 112 was leased to Steamrail
Victoria and restored to operation at an industrial site in
Ballarat.Y 112 features an
attractive lined apple green livery and has performed various rail tours
around Victoria since restoration. It
is normally based at the Steamrail depot in Ballarat East.

For
further information about the Victorian Railway’s Y-class locomotives (and
indeed all early VR motive power), I recommend “Steam Locomotives of the
Victorian Railways – Volume 1: The first 50 years” by Norman Cave, John
Buckland and David Beardsell; this authoritative and details work also
features many historical photographs and drawings.Wikipedia provides some further information
about the Victorian
Railways Y-class steam locomotives.

Here
is a YouTube link showing Y 112 double-heading
with D3 639 on a mail-line run.(The opening shot also shows in the background several D3
locomotives stored by Steamrail at Ballarat East Depot.)

Y 112 as the webmaster first met her: plinthed at Ballarat
in 1979.

References

a

"A
brief history of Preserved Rolling Stock of Victoria"

by Norm Bray, Peter J Vincent and Daryl M
Gregory.

Published
by Brief History Books, PO Box 437, Sunbury, Vic 3429.

b

“Steam
Locomotives of the Victorian Railways – Volume 1: The first 50 years”